Blessed Be Those Who Live
by Alex Damien
Summary: The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life. This is a romantic comedy that goes a little slow. Contains Puzzleshipping, Thiefshipping and Puppyshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**Blessed Be Those Who Live**

**Rating**- T

**Pairings**- None for this chapter, but mainly Thiefshipping, Puppyshipping, and Puzzleshipping

**Summary**- The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life.

The wind that blew across the edges of the millenium ring's plane carried with it echoes of strange voices. Ryou sometimes liked to sit down and listen, trying to decipher what the wind said.

The millennium ring was a prison with a single door that opened to a gray desert. For a long time Ryou hadn't dared to cross the edge of the prison the spirit of the ring had set for him, but after a while, the voices tempted him away and now he walked out whenever he wanted some privacy from the thoughts of the spirit. There were things that he just didn't want to see.

He looked back over his shoulder and saw images of a few men who tried to block the spirit's path. This could only end badly, so he got up and walked away. Not too far, unless he happened to lose his way and never be able to come back. What would happen then, he didn't know, and didn't want to know.

He wanted to talk to someone, but the gray desert was empty, and all the voices he heard from the wind died down the further away he went. He was alone there, in the middle of nowhere, and even the dark spirit's company was better than that.

Before he started back towards the ring's prison, he took out a pen and a small piece of paper from his pocket.

_"Amane:_

_I hope you're doing alright, and that I didn't worry you too much with my last letter. I'm actually doing pretty well, even if I don't go out that much anymore. I've been feeling a little lonely, but it's just that I've been missing you so much."_

He ran out of space in the paper to write on, but he didn't regret a single word. He let the letter go into the wind, where it would become another echo without a name.

#

The first thing Ryou saw was the giant red dragon just about to attack. He fell to his knees, suddenly overcome by the pain from his arm. _Ah, yes, he stabbed himself. One of his greatest ideas, I'm sure. _He thought, and scoffed out a laugh.

_I will admit, I took a bit of a risk. For now just whine and look as pathetic as possible. You know, the usual._ said Bakura directly into his mind. Ryou had almost forgotten that they could do that. It had been very long since the spirit of the ring had even acknowledged him, it felt like meeting an old acquaintance again, despite being as close as possible. Literally.

Ryou took a deep breath and looked at Yuugi. No, that wasn't Yuugi. That was something else. Something dark and ancient like the spirit of the ring. The pharaoh, he supposed. There were a few things he had picked up from the spirit's thoughts.

"Pharaoh…" he whispered. He had barely enough strength to look up. "I'm sorry but, I must be selfish… I don't want to die".

The look on the pharaoh's eyes softened in an almost imperceptible way.

"I dislike using innocents like this," he said, looking away from him.

Bakura snorted. "I'm sure you do". He said through gritted teeth, but Ryou almost didn't hear him. His vision started to blur. It seemed like he had lost more blood than he had expected. Besides, his tolerance to pain was far lower than Bakura's. He did not enjoy it nearly as much, either.

When he looked up again, Ryou thought he saw something hovering beside the pharaoh. That had to be Yuugi, and he seemed to be pulling at the pharaoh. _Ah, I wish I was as strong as you, Yuugi._

Behind him, somewhere in the depths of his mind space, he could hear another voice. That had to be Marik, he could feel him like an itch in his mind. The power of his millennium rod might have confused Bakura, but Ryou felt his presence tearing at the edges of their mind space.

They were arguing. But then, they had been arguing ever since they met so that was nothing new.

He was going to die from shock and bloodloss, he was sure of it as he looked up at the pharaoh and saw him holding the puzzle hanging from his neck.

_Have you been waiting for me Amane? Mom?_

Suddenly, he didn't want to live anymore. He hated his own cowardice. Surely Amane and his mom would be disappointed in him.

The spirit pulled him out of his body. He could barely feel Marik's presence on the background, so he must have found a way to push him away. Now there was no pain, no sound, and Ryou shouted at the pharaoh to kill him. Now, when there would be no pain.

_Kill us! Kill us!_ He found strength on the absence of pain and threw himself at the spirit of the ring while around them, their shared mind space broke apart.

_Stop you idiot! He won't kill us! You've gone mad! _The spirit of the ring pushed him away while trying to keep control of the body. A blinding light blocked everything from view, and Ryou was surprised death could be so bright.

**Thanks for reading and if you like this fic, please comment, like, or just recommend it to a friend :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Blessed Be Those Who Live**

**Rating**- T

**Pairings**- None for this chapter, but mainly Thiefshipping, Puppyshipping, and Puzzleshipping

**Summary**- The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life.

The spirit was right. The pharaoh didn't kill them.

He merely tore them apart.

#

Ryou woke up first, when they had already landed. Bakura woke up much later, when they were both back at Ryou's apartment, and Ryou was changing the bandages on his arm. He glared at Ryou, then looked down at the wound in his arm.

"I seem to have gotten much more than I bargained for. Or rather, what _you_ bargained for, my little slave," he said, and moved up to touch Ryou's face. Ryou moved away on instinct, and Bakura smirked. "Now, now, don't be afraid. You have been of great service to me. Good slaves are rewarded."

Ryou didn't move.

Lying there, bleeding from that body that was a perfect copy of Ryou's own, Bakura seemed much less…ethereal. Less threatening than the omnipotent presence he had been. He was a man now, bound to a body of his own, even if it was just like Ryou's.

"Did you ever go beyond the confines of the ring?" Ryou asked in a soft voice.

"What?" growled Bakura. Buut there was a tremor in his voice that, for once, let Ryou be corageous.

"It was empty, wasn't it? So empty…"

Bakura lunged at him too fast for Ryou to dodge, and threw him to the ground, hitting him in the face again and again. Ryou covered his face, begging him to stop.

"You…," panted Bakura. It was so strange to hear him speaking while out of breath that Ryou dared to look up at him. He seemed to be in pain, and Ryou noticed that the wound on his arm had reopened. The scent of blood made him shiver in fear. "I don't need you anymore, you pathetic, useless child." He tore Ryou's shirt open.

"He has it!" screamed Ryou, terrified at the cold feel of Bakura's hands on his skin. "Yuugi and the pharaoh! They took it!"

Bakura growled, but let go of him.

"I don't need you," he said. "I don't need you anymore," he repeated to himself, walking out of the apartment.

**Thanks for reading and if you like this fic, please comment, like, or just recommend it to a friend :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Blessed Be Those Who Live**

**Rating**- T

**Pairings**- Mainly Thiefshipping, Puppyshipping, and Puzzleshipping

**Summary**- The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life.

Yami stood near the entrance to his soul room, eyeing the many doors and stairs going up and down and everywhere all at once. In his hand he held a small piece of paper that had flown in from one of the many dark holes in the rooms of his mind.

He knew who had written that letter, and the thought of it worried him. Because if Ryou, the spirit of the ring's host had written that letter, that meant that there was a way out of this puzzle. A place beyond, that he could stumble into during his search for his lost memories. A place that connected all the soul rooms.

The space of his soul room suddenly appeared to him much less confining, and wider. Open to a place Yami wasn't sure he wanted to see. He turned to look at the entrance. He could hear Yuugi's voice as he talked with his friends.

He knew he should probably keep looking.

But he decided not to.

He sat down on the floor against the entrance door. He wanted to listen to Yuugi's voice for a little while longer.

He would keep looking.

Soon.

**Thanks for reading and if you like this fic, please comment, like, or just recommend it to a friend :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Blessed Be Those Who Live**

**Rating**- T

**Pairings**- None for this chapter, but mainly Thiefshipping, Puppyshipping, and Puzzleshipping

**Summary**- The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life.

Bakura roamed the streets of a city with a name he had already forgotten. There was a feeling of rain in the night air, and he considered the option of getting himself a place to stay or just drop into one of the many clubs he passed by, and wait.

And wait.

He needed a plan, but having lost his powers and his ring, while the pharaoh made himself stronger with each millennium item he gathered, his options were far too reduced. Uncomfortably reduced.

He made a fist with his left hand, sending a small jolt of pain straight to his shoulder.

And there was his new body, of course, he couldn't forget about _that_.

A new body that was the same as his old one, but felt far different. Or rather, far more real. He looked down to his fist. This one was his own, and he was having an… awkward time getting used to being alive again.

Alive.

He had certainly gotten more than he had bargained for, even if it wasn't what he had wanted in the first place. But he would get back on his feet. He clenched his fist again, and sighed as he relished into the pain it caused him. He licked his lips. He would be back up in no time. Getting used to this body was already a pleasure, when he took the time to appreciate the sensations.

As he looked at the crowds moving he caught sight of someone dressed in an obnoxious shade of purple getting into one of the clubs, and considered for a moment before following. He needed help, and while Marik had never been the best an evil spirit could ask for, he was certainly better than nothing.

A burly man blocked his way, and Bakura gritted his teeth. He didn't want to attract too much attention right now. He closed his eyes and focused on the small shadow covering his mind. It gave him back a feeling of power he craved more than anything.

He opened his eyes and looked straight at the man, who stumbled back with an expression of pure terror and fell on his ass. The people waiting in line laughed at him, and Bakura made a point of stepping on him as he entered the club. Just a few months ago, he wouldn't have been caught using such childish scares, but the times called for some drastic measures.

Inside, the music blared at his ears and the flashing lights annoyed him. He had been to such clubs before, but he never did like them. Too many idiots being stupid in one place, he could barely stand it.

He stopped by the bar to get something strong before looking for Marik. Experience told him that he would probably need it with that idiot. He smirked and downed the shot. It burned deliciously and he almost moaned. The night seemed to be getting better, even if he was in a place full of wankers wearing ridiculous clothes. He eyed the crowd and it took him no time to spot the bright purple shirt. He approached while trying to keep physical contact with anyone to a minimum.

"Marik, you idiot," he pulled at the man's arm, making him turn.

"Wha-? Dude, what the hell?" asked the dark skinned man. He wore an ugly sleeveless shirt opened down to his navel and a bunch of glowing necklaces that Bakura was sure Marik would be fascinated with

But he wasn't Marik. He was just some loser with bleached hair.

"I thought you were someone else," said Bakura, his good mood evaporating completely.

"Yeah, sure. Most overused line, dude, but I'm not interested."

Bakura lifted an eyebrow at that.

And smirked.

"Oh, really?"

Dawn found Bakura making away with a bunch of bottles from the club's bar. He had enjoyed last night's whisky, so he took a couple bottles with him, the ones with the least blood stains of course, and slipped through a small emergency door on the back before the police could make their way through the corpses.

**Thanks for reading and if you like this fic, please comment, like, or just recommend it to a friend :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Blessed Be Those Who Live**

**Rating**- T

**Pairings**- None for this chapter, but mainly Thiefshipping, Puppyshipping, and Puzzleshipping

**Summary**- The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life.

Ryou still walked the place beyond the ring.  
Or rather, he was _trapped_ outside the prison of the ring. In the great gray emptiness beyond.  
From the very first night, the one after he and Bakura had been separated, he found himself standing beyond the door to the Ring. He knew he could not go back. As much as he could see the entrance, there was no way for him to get inside. A great and ancient power blocked his path.  
In the next few days, when he wondered where Bakura had gone -if he had hurt anyone- he shouted at the Ring, called him and begged him not to take out his anger on the innocents.  
Ryou realized, he might be protected from the spirit of the ring, but he would always be responsible for whatever Bakura did.  
After all, wasn't Bakura's body made in his very own image? Weren't those hands his own? No matter what Yuugi and the others said, he would always feel responsible for anyone that the spirit hurt.  
Yet, as long as Bakura wanted to hide from him, he would not be able to do anything other than worry.  
So, he walked. Nights and nights he walked the desert. He had nowhere to go back to anymore, now that even the prison of the Ring had been closed to him; and he was alone. The desert was empty, and that emptiness clawed at his battered spirit more than Bakura ever did.  
Because Bakura was a _person,_ no matter how evil. He was someone who schemed, who raged, who could -feel-.  
Now there was only the desert.  
And the voices.  
But those voices weren't real, he saw that now, and they spoke of things that even Bakura had dared not to; so he avoided the winds that carried them, and stuck to the stillness of silence.  
Until he found him.  
A long figure walking hunched, with spiked blonde hair.  
"Yami Marik," he whispered, and despite the distance, the man heard him, just like Ryou could hear his ragged breathing, and every single one of the tired heartbeats of his fake heart.  
"You...," growled Yami Marik, turning towards him like a predator stalking his prey. Ryou had always been prey, he was used to it, so he didn't move. "Has he abandoned you here, to be devoured by me?"  
He approached Ryou, who didn't take a single step back.

He knew predators. He knew evil.

"Such a small, weak mind, lost here, with me," murmured the evil one. Each of his steps seemed to cross so much distance, Ryou almost moved.

But there they were, Ryou could see them now. The eyes of Yami Marik.

Completely white.

"Are you blind?" asked Ryou. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from him.

Yami Marik stumbled forward. He seemed able to follow Ryou's voice, but the desert tripped him every few steps.

"Blind?" he seemed confused by his own words. Then he threw his head back and laughed. "Who needs to see, when I can hear your screams? When I can feel warm blood on my hands… Did you know that? You can bleed here, forever…"

Ryou's heart sped up, and he finally tried to run away.

He woke up screaming.

Alone.

**Thanks for reading and if you like this fic, please comment, like, or just recommend it to a friend :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Blessed Be Those Who Live**

**Rating**- T

**Pairings**- None for this chapter, but mainly Thiefshipping, Puppyshipping, and Puzzleshipping

**Summary**- The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life.

Yuugi tried to not yawn, and failed. Class sucked. It was almost unbelievable how boring one could make history, but his current teacher seemed to put all his effort into tearing all the fun from it.

Yuugi drew a small pyramid on the margin of his textbook.

_You should be a history teacher, Yami. _Thought Yuugi, drawing an eye on the pyramid.

_Hardly. I can barely remember anything about my past. A teacher like that wouldn't be much help, I believe. _Responded the pharaoh. Yuugi could see him with his mind's eyes, sitting at the window next to him. _And besides, while my life seems to have been filled with important events… _he looked out the window. _It was merely a few years long. The world has gone on, so much has happened… My reign wouldn't be more than a footnote._

_It's not like you to be so down. Is something bothering you?_

Yami's expression turned colder.

_No. It is merely the truth._

_Hmmm. Just because people don't know about the great things you did doesn't mean anything. I didn't think you cared about something like that._

_It's not that _He sighed. _It was just a comment, forget about it._

"Hey Yug, what's up with the long face?" asked Joey, hitting him on the shoulder. Class had ended and he hadn't even realized it.

"Nothing. I was just talking with the pharaoh."

"Oh, yeah. I kinda forget he lives in your head."

Tristan hit Joey. "Dude, he can hear you!"

Yami's mouth curved into a tiny smile, and Yuugi laughed.

"Well, I just can't see why he doesn't get himself a body like he did with-", he looked behind him. A few girls were chatting with Ryou. "You-know-who. I mean, _he_ didn't deserve one."

"Well, it's not that easy. It took a lot out of him for that to work."

By the window, Yami sighed.

_But yeah, why don't you get a body too? _Said Yuugi. _ I know it's hard, but we'll help in any way we can._

Yami avoided looking straight at Yuugi. _Wouldn't it be… awkward for you?_

_Not more than talking to someone who lives inside my head!_

_Heh. I guess so…I'll think about it._

Yuugi gave him a sad look. They already knew each other too well. Even secrets they kept from themselves were bared for the other ones' eyes. And all Yuugi saw was the seed of despair taking root in the other one's heart.

**Thanks for reading and if you like this fic, please comment, like, or just recommend it to a friend :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Blessed Be Those Who Live**

**Rating**- T

**Pairings**- None for this chapter, but mainly Thiefshipping, Puppyshipping, and Puzzleshipping

**Summary**- The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life.

A strange tinkling sound woke Ryou up from deep sleep, but he didn't dare move, instead opting to try and identify where the noise was coming from. He didn't want to risk upsetting an attacker, in case anyone –_Bakura?- _had broken into his apartment.

A rock crashed through window and fell in front of his bed.

"Open the damn door, you useless wanker!" shouted a drunken voice from outside.

Ryou jumped out of his bed and ran to the window, taking care to not step over any broken glass. He had never heard Bakura drunk, much less to this point; and honestly? He had just started getting his self esteem back.

"You're the bloody king of thieves damn it! Do it yourself!" he shouted back. Three stories down, Bakura stumbled forward once, then threw another rock at Ryou's window. He had surprisingly good aim to be as drunk as Ryou thought he was.

Lights were being turned on in a few apartments, so Ryou decided to just go along with him before any of his neighbors called the police.

He ran down the stairs and opened the door. "What are you doing here? What happened to you?" he asked as he guided Bakura up the stairs. Just his luck, the elevator had broken down the day before.

"Whuss? Din't we have one o' those…elevatin'…box thing?" Bakura asked. Ryou tried to make him hold to his shoulders, but found a bunch of dark red stains in Bakura's coat and instead tried to touch him as little as possible as he helped him up the stairs.

"The elevator is broken."

"Then fix eet! Gods, you useless-!" he tripped over one of the steps and Ryou had to hold him. His hand touched a slightly wet and sticky patch in Bakura's clothes.

_Please don't be blood, please don't be blood…_

"Course it is, dammit! Shtop shoutin' in my head!" Bakura pushed him away and held on to the wall for the last flight of stairs. The door to the apartment directly below Ryou's opened, and an old lady wearing the ugliest bathrobe came out.

"Oh, my, are you alright Ryou dear? What is all that shouting?" asked Mrs. Sadel. Ryou was torn between making sure Bakura didn't trip on any more steps (thus hurting himself, and making sure Ryou paid for it later), and making sure his neighbors didn't get him evicted. So much for getting his self esteem back.

"Uhm, hi Mrs. Sadel. I'm sorry. It's just…uh, my brother is-. Well, he had a bit of a party. I'm really sorry, I'll get him under control."

"Oh, my. Well, be careful dear," she said, and gave him a bunch of cookies. She always gave him cookies whenever she saw him. Even at one in the morning when his drunk "brother" was making a mess, apparently.

"Thank you Mrs. Sadel. I'm really, really sorry."

Bakura shouted from the floor above "Ryou! Open the damn door!"

Ryou bowed to the old lady, and ran upstairs where he found Bakura already messing with his lock using a knife.

"Oh, my god! Stop that!" he shouted, batting away Bakura's hands. He would now have to change the lock before anyone noticed it. "Is this how you steal things?" he whispered. He could barely believe this was the great king of thieves.

"In m'times we opened locks wi' a…wid' a hammer! Locks big as a- ´s your 'ead!"

"Oh, god, please stop talking."

Ryou finally managed to get open the door and Bakura inside. It was a small miracle that none of his other neighbors had decided to investigate

He dashed to his room. The glass from the broken window was at the other side of the bed, so he would probably not have too much trouble getting Bakura there. He dashed back to the living room as fast he could, and found Bakura had crashed into the couch and fallen asleep.

He snored.

Ryou smiled at the sight. He had never thought someone as usually elegant and proud as Bakura would do something as mundane as snoring.

_Wait…Does this mean I snore too?_

He decided to just put a blanket over him and go back to sleep.

**Thanks for reading and if you like this fic, please comment, like, or just recommend it to a friend :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Blessed Be Those Who Live**

**Rating**- T

**Pairings**- None for this chapter, but mainly Thiefshipping, Puppyshipping, and Puzzleshipping

**Summary**- The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life.

Ryou woke up by being kicked in the face by Bakura's foot.

"Get up already, stupid host!"

"Ungh, wha-?"

"I'm hungry and your stove is broken. It does not start a fire."

"…I have an electric stove." Ryou got up so fast, the room tilted around him. Despite the dizziness he hurried to the kitchen.

"So? It still doesn't make any fire I can cook with."

"No, that means that- Oh." Ryou looked down at the giant crack in his stove. "I…thought you knew about…uhm, you know… technology."

"I knew how to operate various machines through your own knowledge and memories," said Bakura, picking up a beer he apparently had been drinking. Ryou never bought any alcohol. "But now that we have separate bodies, most of your knowledge is hidden from me. So, start cooking."

Ryou opened his mouth to ask a few very reasonable questions, but his gaze fell on Bakura's ruined and crumpled jacket with all the blood stains hanging from the edge of the couch, and he decided to just call for pizza.

A few minutes later, over a slice of meat lover's, Bakura finally decided to speak.

"I'm going to be staying here."

"Uhm…ok," it didn't really matter what Ryou thought, _Yes, sir_ was –always- the appropriate answer to anything the thief king said. Any inappropriate answer would probably be met with pain.

"It's closer to the pharaoh and his band of idiots."

"Hmhm."

"I will get my millennium ring back as soon as possible, despite this…unexpected situation."

"Hmhm."

"I'm not going to hurt you if you speak."

"…You said that my mind was hidden from you."

Bakura leaned back on his chair. There was something different in his eyes, but Ryou couldn't put his finger on it. The feeling that the spirit could hide something from him, especially emotions, was far more disconcerting for Ryou than any of his villainous stunts.

"I said that your knowledge and memories were hidden from me. There seems to be some small connection remaining between us… Regrettably."

Ryou had noticed it too. Like a cold river of thoughts flowing softly through the edges of his consciousness. If he focused, he knew he would probably be able to make out some of Bakura's thoughts, but it was too difficult for him to focus enough to get anything clear.

The phone rang, and Ryou got up to get it, thankful to have something to break the tension.

"Hello?"

There was a lot of static on the line, but Ryou already knew who it was.

"Hey, son!"

"Dad, hi!"

From the kitchen, Bakura raised an elegant eyebrow at him, and Ryou concentrated on the image of him snoring on the couch. Bakura mouthed 'Bitch' at him.

"I don't have much time, son, my flight is about to board. I'm going home. I'll be staying with you for a couple days and will probably be there tomorrow afternoon."

"Eh? I- well, I…"

"Whoops, gotta go. I've missed you son, see you soon."

The line died. Ryou looked at Bakura, who gave him a bored look.

"I'm staying. Besides, I've already met your father."

"I believe you were a ring back then."

"Still counts." Bakura got up. "I'm taking a bath."

"You still remember how to use one, right?"

Bakura punched him lightly on the shoulder "I'll figure it out." It was obvious something was bothering him deeply, but asking about it would probably be like playing with a tiger's good mood.

Ryou sighed and made a fast list _Buy a new stove, replace the lock, throw away the bloody clothes, figure out how to explain the sudden existence of my evil twin._

"We could make him think it's true," called Bakura from the bathroom. Ryou approached, more concerned about the state of his bathroom than anything else.

"Make him think what?"

Bakura was already in the bath tub. He had thrown his dirty clothes around and gotten water all over the bathroom floor. Ryou picked the clothes up, which earned him an annoyed look.

"Make him think I am your real twin brother, what else?"

"You can do that? I thought your powers were…"

"I still can do something like that. Besides, it will only be for a few days. I will merely enter his mind enough to make him think that he has two identical sons. Nothing more."

Ryou fell silent. Was that really such a simple thing? Was family such a simple thing to change? He wanted to think that his father would realize that he had no memories of such a son, but he also knew that the spirit's powers were far greater than he could imagine even without the ring. He wondered if the spirit could also make him forget about Amane. Could Marik do it? Undoubtedly, with the power of the millennium rod, the spirit could…

"Fine, I won't. Dammit, will you stop your bloody whining?" growled Bakura. He glared at Ryou, then submerged in the tub, splashing water everywhere. "It's so annoying." He said, coming out. He pulled some locks of hair away from his eyes just to glare at Ryou.

"You can hear everything I think?"

"This close, and you being so dramatic, it's like you're shouting."

"I can't hear what you think. For me, it's more like an echo."

Bakura leaned back on the tub. "It's practice. I'm the mind expert here, remember?"

"Heh, I suppose so."

"Anyway, I suppose I could just derail his judgement of our appearance. Make him think it's perfectly normal for us to look the same. I'd be just a friend staying over. It –would- take more energy than I'd like, but I suppose you have been a … fairly decent landlord."

Ryou smiled, but Bakura only responded with a growl.

#

It took nearly all of Ryou's savings to get another stove in place. Then it took a lot of begging to get the locksmith to get there that very afternoon. The bloody clothes had been disposed of, and Bakura had assured him that he would be able to pull off his magic trick, so it all seemed to be going well when his father's taxi appeared at the entrance of the building early the next morning.

"Even if I couldn't hear your thoughts, your nervousness would piss me off all the same," said Bakura.

Ryou passed a hand through his hair. "I haven't seen him for so long. It's been…ten months, actually…"

"Wow, I can't believe you're not running to hug him. It's been aaages," Bakura's voice dripped with sarcasm, but had stopped caring about that a long time ago.

"It feels like a lot more time. I guess so many things have happened, it really does feel like ages."

The doorbell rang, and Bakura sighed in annoyance. Ryou bit on the sleeve of his white pajamas before opening the door. Behind him, he felt Bakura's presence more strongly than before. There was a strange tension around him that reminded Ryou about the time he spent in the cold loneliness of the ring.

He opened the door with a strained smile. "Dad!" he said, and felt something pass over him. Something cold and dark. When he looked into his father's eyes he saw a shadow pass over them.

His father falthered for a moment with a vacant stare, and Ryou felt something cold twisting in his gut. But the moment ended as fast as it had started, and his father extended his arms at him for a hug. "Ryou!"

They hugged, and on the back of his mind, Ryou could hear Bakura making disgusted sounds. He held on to his father for a moment more than usual, wanting to feel the warmth of his body and make sure that it was still his father, after whatever Bakura had done to him.

"I'm so happy you're here."

"I'm very happy to see you too son. And who is this young man?"

Ryou's heart skipped a beat.

"Uh, that is…"

"I'm Bakura, a friend from school." said the thief with a smirk that showed his sharp fangs. Ryou wondered if his own teeth were so sharp, or he was just imagining things.

"Uhm, yeah, he's staying for a few days while his family is… away."

"That's great. I'd never met any of your friends Ryou." His father extended his hand toward's Bakura's, and the thief looked at it for a moment before shaking it. Ryou watched them closely, wanting to see if his father would recognize that the hand he was holding was his son's.

He didn't.

**Thanks for reading and if you like this fic, please comment, like, or just recommend it to a friend :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Blessed Be Those Who Live**

**Rating**- T

**Pairings**- None for this chapter, but mainly Thiefshipping, Puppyshipping, and Puzzleshipping

**Summary**- The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life.

Joey's house sucked. The entire apartment building sucked, but his house sucked the most. He skipped up the stairs to his apartment, thinking about composing a song about it, but despite the idea making him smile, in the end it only depressed him more.

The lights were on, which meant that his father was already there. Joey gritted his teeth before getting in.

"Dad! I'm home!" he called. He kicked a bunch of beer bottles out of his way. He had to clean up soon, but the last thing he wanted was to stay in that damned house any longer than necessary.

"Finally! Ya know what hour it is?" shouted his father. There was a drawl in his voice, which meant he had been drinking. The night just got more and more interesting.

"Yeah, I dropped by Yuugi's place for a while."

"To play those damned cards, didn't you?" His father came out of Joey's room and threw a bunch of cards to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"You've been spending all your money in this useless things, when there's nothing in the fridge! Didn't I give you money to buy food?"

"Yeah, but the landlord came and I had to give it to him because you haven't paid the rent in three months! What the hell was I supposed to do? Let him kick us out?"

"Don't speak to me like that! I work hard, but all you do is hang around with that loser playing cards!"

"Don't call my friends losers! They've done more for me than you!"

Joey was too angry to notice his father's fist going to his face. He stumbled backwards, tripped on an empty beer bottle and fell down on a couple of them that he had kicked away before. They broke and pieces of glass cut his left arm.

He didn't move, and neither did his father. He breathed deeply, and suddenly felt the intense burning in his arm. There was blood all over the carpet too.

"F-fuck, I…"

"Joey-"

"Shut up!" he got up. The room tilted around him, but he wasn't sure if it was because of his anger, or because of the blood loss. He picked a couple pieces of glass off his arm, but it only made him bleed more. "Just shut up, alright?!," he shouted, trying to drown out the pain with his voice. He walked towards the door. "And don't throw away any of my cards! I'll know if you do!" he called back as he closed the door.

#

Kaiba took note of the bad state of the streets around the clinic as he sat on his limousine on the other side of the street. He would need to spend a bit more than planned on security if he ended up buying this one. But it was the closest one to the lab with a decent enough infrastructure.

He was a few minutes early to his appointment with the director of the clinic, which gave him an opportunity to tighten his proposal. It wouldn't take too much, considering the worsening state of the neighborhood, but he still had to keep costs down on the new pharmaceutical branch of the company. If he played his cards right, all that trash left over from the biochemical weapons branch of the company would serve a much more…profitable purpose. People would pay far more for healing than for killing, of course.

He noticed someone limping towards the clinic. A long figure with a mop of yellow hair that Seto would recognize anywhere.

Seeing one of those friendship obsessed dorks alone was certainly an odd sight, so Seto got out of his car and followed him into the clinic. At the entrance he noticed bloodstains making a beeline for a particular door

"I can't believe you, Joseph." Said an old man from inside. The door was slightly ajar, so Seto could see inside. An old doctor sat before Joey, who sat with his back towards the door, and had taken off his shirt and left it hanging over the back of a chair near the door. Seto's eyes narrowed at the sight of big blood stains on it.

"Neh, I'm fine. Just fell on a broken bottle."

"You will need stitches."

"Yeah, whatever."

"A lot of stitches. Good thing you came straight here, or this could get ugly."

"It's not that much."

"Who is the doctor here, Joseph?"

"Fine, fine. Ugh-"

"I told you it would hurt."

The doctor looked up and saw Seto, who quickly moved away from the door. He was already late for his appointment, so he took the elevator up to the third floor, and kept the image of Joey's bloody shirt out of his mind. He had a job to do.

And it took way too long. The meeting that he had expected to only take him a few minutes went on for more than an hour, to the point that Seto had the most annoying headache once he got out of the meeting room. He also had a new clinic to add to the new branch of the company, of course, he was Seto Kaiba; he always got what he wanted.

Before he turned towards the entrance, he passed by the door where he had seen Joseph being treated. The door was wide open now, and he saw the doctor sitting at his desk writing something. The old man looked up and saw Seto staring at him.

"Oh, you must be Joey's friend," the doctor said, getting up from his desk. Seto rolled his eyes.

"Friend would be quite an exaggeration, I'd say."

The doctor laughed softly. The scent of antiseptic was overpowering, and Seto wondered just how many stitches would "a lot" mean for doctors, who always claimed that incredibly painful procedures "wouldn't hurt at all."

"That Joey," said the doctor with a smile. "He sure can be a handful when he gets into trouble."  
"Of that I'm too well aware," said Kaiba. He'd had his share of problems due to that idiot always getting wherever he wasn't wanted. Like his tournament. And his life as a whole.  
"I'm sure you are. Joey is always talking about you."  
That got Seto's attention and he stopped looking at the office to follow the doctor's movements as he searched through the cabinets with slightly shaking hands until he found the bottle he wanted.  
"Is he?" finally asked Seto, when it seemed like the doctor wasn't going to say anything else.  
"Oh, yes. He told me all about that tournament you hosted a while ago. Battling city."  
"Battle City," corrected Seto. The doctor smiled slightly at all, and Kaiba realized he had fallen into a trap for his ego. Despite the shaking and the old age, that doctor was smarter than he let on.  
"Of course, how could I forget? Anyway, it's a good thing I caught you before you left. Joey left in such a hurry, he forgot his pain medication. He'll need it in the morning once the shock wears off, that's for sure," the doctor took a back with what looked like Joey's bloody shirt inside, then gave both things to Seto.  
"I'll be leaving for a convention the next couple of days, so I won't be able to see him. But if he takes the medicine, he should be fine and I'll take out the stitches once I am back," he shook his head. "I suppose I shouldn't hope for him to actually get some rest and not do any effort for a few days, like he should."

"Of course not."

Seto took the bags from him. There wasn't a time that he hadn't seen that idiot doing something stupid like getting into fights or pissing off the wrong people -like him- so the old man shouldn't get his hopes high. It was more likely that Joey would end up popping his stitches and then have to come running back crying.

"What happened to him?" Seto finally asked.

"He said he tripped and fell on a broken glass."

Kaiba didn't miss the 'said' there.

Once inside his limousine Seto looked inside the bag and the smell of beer and dirt made him throw the shirt out the window. Some glass that had been. Still, Kaiba was sure that despite his reputation as a thug, Joey wasn't one to go around getting drunk on cheap beer.  
So many things he didn't care about just kept coming up.

**Thanks for reading and if you like this fic, please comment, like, or just recommend it to a friend :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Blessed Be Those Who Live**

**Rating**- T

**Pairings**- None for this chapter, but mainly Thiefshipping, Puppyshipping, and Puzzleshipping

**Summary**- The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life.

When Ryou's father said that he would drive them to school on his way to the museum the next morning, Ryou found himself thinking of the senior who lived on the next building and how he had about the same height and build as him. Then he realized those weren't his own thoughts.

"Don't! What is he going to wear tomorrow?" he whispered to Bakura when his father went to leave the dishes on the kitchen. Bakura just gave him the who-gives-a-shit smirk. Ryou was starting to make a list of Bakura's smirks, there were _that many_. "And you don't even care about school."

Bakura shrugged and reached towards the big ice cream carton to get another serving. Apparently he had never had ice cream before, and he made sure to 'convince' Ryou's father to bring more every time he went out.

"No. But it's as good an excuse as any to see what that idiot host of the pharaoh is doing. I tried breaking into his house the other day-"

"What did you-?!"

"But the pharaoh was already expecting that, and he sealed it against me. He must be keeping the items there. School seems like the easiest way to get close to them. And you're going to back me up in this and say I've changed now and want to be good or some bullshit like that."

"I'm not su-"

"You. Will."

The last words were said with the typical –Dear Landlord- smirk, that said Bakura was considering being much less nice to him in the nearby future.

Ryou's father came back with a bottle of chocolate syrup, and Ryou thought that he had never loved him more than in that very moment.

"Help me put the dishes on the dishwasher, Ryou?" he asked. Bakura's train of thought had turned completely towards the ice cream, and Ryou jumped at the opportunity to not have to deal with him anymore.

"Sure!"

As he was finishing with the dishes, his father came to the kitchen with a strange aura. Ryou had learned to understand the small, tight movements that signaled a bad mood from Bakura, and he now saw them in his father.

"Is…something that matter dad?"

His father sighed.

"Ryou, I don't like you lying to me."

Ryou's breath caught in his throat, and a strange excitement burned in his gut. Had his father finally realized that he had been staring at his son's face and taking him for a stranger for days now? A small, resentful part of Ryou wished it was so.

"L-lie?"

"Your friend Kura."

"Dad, he…"

"He's been living here for a while, hasn't he? Look, if he has problems with his family, running away and hiding here with you isn't going to solve them. I mean, he does seem like an ok guy, and it's good for you to not be all alone here, but I'm worried about it. What must his parents be thinking?"

Bakura's laughter sounded from the living room, but he had the slight good taste to at least try to mask it by turning the volume of the tv up. Ryou gritted his teeth.

"Yeah. Sorry dad. I should have been…," he sighed. "I should have been honest. He does have some trouble with his parents, but they're letting him stay here for the meantime. I told them you would be ok with this. Sorry about not telling you before."

His father nodded with a soft smile, and Ryou wanted to shout _I'm being bullied by a spirit that is now my evil twin, dad! Come on!_

"Well, you should have told me, but it seems like you two are doing alright for now. And, like I said, I don't like the idea of you being all alone here. To be honest, I had plans of bringing you with me to Egypt in my next dig."

The sound from the tv in the living room died off.

"To Egypt? To live with you there?"

"Of course to live with me, Ryou! I've missed you, and it must be hard living alone here in the city."

_No. Yes. No. We can't just go there. I still need the millennium items. But Egypt-_

Among the torrent of incoherent thoughts from Bakura, Ryou was struck with an image of Egypt so clear, he could feel the hot sand over his skin, and the cool breeze from the Nile river.

He shivered. For once, Bakura's mind defenses had let down, and he caught a glimpse at the way he put his evil plans together. And of something else. A thought buried beneath the others; pushed away as far as Bakura could send it, yet it called to Ryou when he turned his mind's attention towards it.

"Ryou? Are you alright?" asked his Father, snapping Ryou out of his focus on Bakura's thoughts.

"Sorry dad. I just…I'd like to go, but…"

His father gave him a sad smile that felt reassuring to Ryou. His father knew how hard it was to start again, to try and have a normal life again. He didn't know anything about the evil spirit who had been living inside his son's body, but Ryou liked to think he would be pretty understanding about that too. Maybe.

"It's alright Ryou. I just want whatever makes you happy. From what you told me in your letters, it seems like you have made many friends here. Especially that Kura boy. He seems a little rough around the edges, but you two seem to get along pretty well."

Ryou blinked. "Heh, heh, yeah…we get along…pretty well…"

That night, the kid next door lost an almost new school uniform, and later on Ryou would find out that he had gained a concussion in it's place.

**Thanks for reading and if you like this fic, please comment, like, or just recommend it to a friend :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Blessed Be Those Who Live**

**Rating**- T

**Pairings**- None for this chapter, but mainly Thiefshipping, Puppyshipping, and Puzzleshipping

**Summary**- The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life.

The uniform looked at bit big on Bakura, but Ryou thought that anyone stupid enough to laugh at him for it probably deserved the beating. The evil aura around Bakura was so strong, it was almost tangible as they entered the gates to the school.

"If anyone asks, you're my twin brother who lived with my dad in Egypt," said Ryou.

"A perfect story clearly backed up by my tan, of course."

"Considering how you thought coming to school to be such a good idea, I thought you'd have a better attitude about it."

"I didn't think it was a good idea. Merely a necessary measure to find a way to get the millennium items. And I would have a better attitude if your ideas didn't suck so much."

Ryou rolled his eyes, but they were attracting enough unwanted attention already, and he didn't want to risk an argument with Bakura now less than ever. They stopped before the principal's office.

"Here. You have to talk to the principal and then he will take you to our classroom. Meanwhile I'll talk to Yuugi and-"

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't ruin it all with your pathetic honesty."

Bakura entered and slammed the door behind him. Ryou's life might be full of constant emotional torment, but no one would say it was ever _boring_. He entered the classroom and felt everyone's eyes on him. They had no doubt seen him arrive with Bakura.

From the back row, Yuugi gave him a sad look. Ryou didn't want to know what the pharaoh had to say right now, but he had to talk to them as soon as possible. Before all of this got any more out of hand.

"Hey Yuugi," he started, smiling sheepishly.

"Ryou. He made you do this, didn't he?" asked Yuugi. Ryou blinked, and suddenly it wasn't Yuugi anymore.

"N-no! Of course not! I just…I thought it would be a good idea to…keep an eye on him."

The pharaoh's stare was too much like Bakura's stare, and it made Ryou more than just a little uncomfortable.

"Ryou. I was merciful with him because of you," started saying the pharaoh in a voice that tried to be reassuring, yet his presence felt overly imposing as all ways. "I can still judge him for his crimes now, should you rethink your plea for his life."

More of their classmates started arriving, so Ryou lowered his voice. "I'm sorry, but I must plead for his life now, like I would for Yuugi's life. For all of my friends. The crimes that the spirit committed with my body still weigh down on me. I do not wish to shoulder any more sins."

The pharaoh looked at him like he had more to say about that, but the teacher arrived, and they all took their seats. When he looked back, Ryou saw that the Pharaoh had left Yuugi's body. Yet, Ryou could still feel his heavy presence.

It would be a long day.

#

"I'd like to introduce a new student who will be joining us today. Come in, Bakura."

The thief entered the classroom with a bored look, but Ryou didn't miss the slight glare he shot Yuugi at the back of the class.

"Please write your name on the blackboard and tell us something about yourself," said the teacher. Bakura took the chalk and wrote in the ugliest handwriting Ryou had ever seen.

_You do remember how to write, right?_

_In ancient Egypt we used to write using daggers made from the bones of our fallen enemies._

_No you didn't!_

_You don't know –that-._

"Something about me? Well, I'm Bakura, Ryou's twin brother. As I'm sure you can all see," he gave them all a smirk that made many of them shift in their seats in fear.

The teacher cleared his throat. "Alright then, please take a seat there in the back and we will begin."

**Thanks for reading and if you like this fic, please comment, like, or just recommend it to a friend :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Blessed Be Those Who Live**

**Rating**- T

**Pairings**- None for this chapter, but mainly Thiefshipping, Puppyshipping, and Puzzleshipping

**Summary**- The pharaoh separates Ryou and Bakura, and now they must deal with life.

Joey arrived late that day. He came running and sneaked in after the second class. As he stepped inside the classroom, he felt a shiver up his spine. As he looked up, his eyes met with Bakura's. The bad one´s.

"W-what are you doing here?!" he yelled. Behind him, the teacher for the second class hit him with a book on the head, and he yelped in pain.

"He's here early. Unlike some people," said Mrs. Karaga. She was a middle aged, chubby lady who took detention too seriously. "Mr. Tashio already told me you weren't in the first class. Care to explain that?"

"Uh, it's…a-a dog chased me while I was walking to school. Yeah, and I had to lose it and then take another route, and uh…I was late. Yes, that's why!"

Mrs. Karaga gave him her best I-am-so-disappointed-in-you glare, then let him get to his seat. Which was next to Evil Bakura. His day just kept getting better and better.

"Doesn't it smell like blood?" muttered Bakura. Joey gritted his teeth.

"No."

"Ah, then just give it time. Also, those bandages need washing."

"How did you-?"

Mrs. Karaga yelled, "Silence at the back! Joseph, I do mean you!"

Joey took out his book, and noticed Kaiba sneaking a look at him from the front of the class.

Some days Joey just wanted to flip his desk and walk out, but considering the current state of his arm, that was much less of an option now than ever.

He spent the rest of the classes until lunch trying not to think of the pain. The minute school was over he was running to the clinic and asking doctor Smith for some painkillers.

By the time lunch rolled around, he had made up a suitable way to explain his predicament that wouldn't make his friends worry. At least, he hoped they wouldn't worry _too much_.

"Why were you late today? We were worried!" asked Tea. Tristan and Yuugi wasted no time to get around him with worried looks too.

"Nyeh, had a bit of an accident last night," he said, lifting the left sleeve of his uniform. "Was running in the rain, slipped, and fell on some broken glass. Doesn't really hurt any more, but-"

"That looks really bad Joey!"

"Nah, I just have to fix the bandages. I'll do it once I get home."

"No way. It really looks pretty bad! Come on, we have to go see the nurse."

They pulled him up, and rushed out of the classroom.

"Guys! I already went to the doctor, I'm fine!"

Everyone stopped cold so fast, Joey almost fell forward. A few feet in front of them was Bakura eating a popsicle, and talking with a few seniors who looked like they wanted trouble.

"That looks bad," said Yuugi, taking a tentative step forward.

"Yeah, for them," said Joey. He had crossed paths with them before, and knew they hit as bad as they looked. Still, even he would think it twice before getting into a fight with the spirit of the ring. Clean fights were not on his agenda. "Whose idea was it to bring him to school? I mean, seriously."

"Ryou's, apparently. What could they possibly be talking about, he's been here for like, three hours" said Tea in a low voice.

They fell silent.

"I don't care if it was your twin or your triplet or whatever. You stay away from my girl!" said the tallest one. Joey remembered him being Sota. Or maybe Souto. He wasn't really sure, but now that he mentioned it, he did remember Ryou chatting up with his girlfriend a few days ago on the halls. Some girl with awful taste in hair accessories she was.

"Oh, no, is he in trouble?" asked Ryou behind them. "I'd been searching for him. Has he hurt anybody?"

"Not yet, but those guys look like they want some," said Joey. He hoped they would all solve it fast, because he wasn't up to getting into a fight right now, and this looked like it would get out of control too easily. The smirking image of Yami Marik during their duel flashed in his mind and gritted his teeth.

"Oh, no. Souto has been trying to beat me up for a while since I helped Mina with her homework. If they try anything on Bakura, he might hurt them seriously. I'll get it now." Ryou ran towards them smiling brightly. "Hey Bakura, I've been searching for you."

Joey shook his head and nudged at Tristan. "This can only get worse. Let's go help."

The three thugs looked at Ryou as he approached. "Well, look at that, he did have a twin." Said Souto, and smirked. Bakura returned the gesture, then turned to Ryou.

"I think this guy was angry about you dating his girlfriend or something? Let her go already."

"I wasn't dati-!"

Souto's fist went right at Ryou's face before Joey or the others could get there to stop him.

Bakura moved faster.

He held the outstretched arm, and used the momentum to punch him in the gut. The other two tried to hit Bakura from the sides while Ryou hid behind him. Joey kept his eyes on Bakura's face, and noticed him eyeing the window with a look of mischief like the one the dark Marik always had. _Oh, no you don't_ he thought, and stepped between the window and the fight.

Tristan dashed forward to his left just in time to block a punch from one of Souto's lackeys that Joey hadn't noticed. The pain in his arm made him flinch, but he stayed where he was, eyes firmly on Bakura.

Souto recovered from the punch and tried to tackle Bakura, who took a step back, then rushed forward to kick him in the stomach hard enough to make the larger man hit the wall on the other side. When Joey saw the bored look on Bakura's eyes, he was sure Souto would have easily crashed through the window had he not been there.

Tristan had the second one on the floor, and landed a couple good punches to him, but Joey was suddenly aware they had been fighting three thugs when the last one hit him on the shoulder. It had been his good one, but the movement tore at the stitches in his other arm, and the pain made him cry out. The thug threw himself at Joey, hoping to take him down, but Joey jumped to the left and kicked him on the side. Enough time for Tristan to take the asshole down in an arm lock.

They were all screwed though.

At least the principal let him see the nurse before he spoke with him about how much time he was going to be suspended for. Just what he needed.

He gritted his teeth as he walked towards the nurse's office. Maybe he could ask her about some painkillers. Surely she would know he needed them when she looked at his arm.

He stopped and leaned against the wall for a moment. They were going to call his father anyway, so there was no hiding it, but he still felt uncomfortable at the thought of someone other than doctor Smith looking at his wound. The nurse would probably think he had gotten in another street fight and would give him one of those disgusting looks that said how disappointed she was in him. As if he needed any more of _those_.

Someone pushed him on the shoulder and he whirled around. He had been so focused on his own thoughts he hadn't heard anyone approach, and the mighty Seto Kaiba looked down at him like he was a disgusting stain in his expensive shoes.

"What's wrong with you dude? The hall's not wide enough for you?"

Kaiba paid no attention to his words, merely produced a small bottle and a piece of paper from his pocket.

"The doctor from that run down shack you call a clinic gave me this the other day. Apparently he is under the assumption that we are…friends," he said, almost spiting out the last word. He gave Joey the medicine, taking care of making no contact with him. "He said you would need them, but you seem fine without them. Already picking useless fight like nothing."

"Go fuck yourself Kaiba. Why were you there anyway?"

"Hmp, I was passing by and saw a dog get in. I thought I was buying a hospital, not a veterinary."

"Ha, ha, so funny. Wait, you're buying the-…why? You own a games company!"

"A small runt like you wouldn't understand it, so don't worry about it," he said, smirking as he walked away down the stairs. "But you'd better be getting a new doctor soon. He will not stay there for long."

Joey held the bottle so hard, the plastic cracked. "Fuck you Kaiba!" he shouted after him.

Doctor smith had taken care of him ever since he moved in with his father, after his parents' divorce, and now this asshole was buying the clinic just because he had nothing better to do with all his stupid money? He kicked the wall. His life was getting worse and worse.

He was not going back home tonight, though, that was for sure.

**Thanks for reading and if you like this fic, please comment, like, or just recommend it to a friend :)**


End file.
